Chew Your Way to Afternoon Brainpower
Do chips, chocolates or cookies tempt you mid-afternoon at work? Though snacks provide a quick pick-me-up, unfortunately a let-down’s not far behind – leaving you drowsy or sleeping at the wheel. If afternoon chip munching and candy nibbling is now routine, a snack makeover’s in order.
Snacking on munchies full of carbohydrates or sugar initially spikes your energy with a surge of blood sugar. Soon after though, insulin spurs your brain to produce melatonin and just enough serotonin – that can leave you feeling drowsy. Good news is that sleepiness generally passes in an hour or so as insulin clears blood of glucose when sugars fully digest.
